Press Release: We Cannot Combat Climate Change by Building Shopping Centres or New Airports

Medway Greens criticise Boris Johnson’s latest proposals.

With the latest IPCC report on man-made climate change making national headlines, Boris Johnson forges ahead with his promotion of a Thames Estuary airport, highlighting potential retail opportunities at the disused Heathrow site. Boris Johnson has stated his determination to continue his fight for an airport in the Thames Estuary whatever decision the Airport Commission make in 2015 (BBC South East Today).

Trish Marchant, Medway Green Party member comments:

“The IPCC report leaves no doubt that inaction on climate change will cause irreversible damage with flooding, risks to human health, food shortages and increased conflicts. Yet Boris Johnson continues to promote irresponsible airport expansion and additional retail developments which can only make the situation worse”.

“No one but the Green Party is emphasising that we need an energy revolution, reducing demand for energy alongside clean energy production. Firstly, we cannot continue to consume at the rate we are at present if we are to address the climate change crisis. Part of this is that we expend a lot of energy producing consumer goods to fill our shopping malls which we don’t really need. That energy would be better spent keeping our well insulated homes warm and well lit. Thus we need to reduce energy demand by consuming less and conserving more. Secondly, we need much more investment in clean energies, wind, tidal and solar. Any production of energy from fossil fuels will make climate change worse, including that produced by fracking, which the current government seems hell bent on promoting. Aviation is also a major way that carbon emissions are produced with the added problem that there is no clean way of producing fuel for aircraft. Therefore any kind of expansion of air travel is madness”.

Boris Johnson’s proposal has also produced a response from London Assembly Green Party Member Darren Johnson who says:

“The only credible solution is to reduce the total number of flights and not build new airports or new runways. What is the point of building a huge airport in the Thames Estuary flood plain and expanding the total number of flights and climate change emissions?”

Trish adds:

“The Green Party is the only party that really takes the climate change threat seriously and the only Party that has the solutions. The type of voting system at the European elections, coming up in May, means that those who want serious action on climate change have a chance to make a difference by voting for their Green MEP.”